4 Ways To Stay Focused On Your Goal

How to stay focused on your goal when you’re out of your regular routine

My side hustle is being a yoga teacher and I travel pretty often for it. In the past few months I’ve been to three different countries. I also have a quick trip to Vancouver in a few weeks.

I’m totally a creature of habit. I love to know what I’m doing and exactly when I’m doing it or else I will get nothing done. For real, if I don’t plan my day in advance I will spend 2 hours on Facebook because I get overwhelmed with the amount of things that have to get done.

At the same time, I can feel stifled with too much planning. That’s why when I travel I like to leave my plans fairly loosey goosey so I can enjoy my free time. This can pretty quickly to lead to me being bloated and unhappy if I’m not careful.

Life is about balance and I definitely need it when I’m travelling. Travelling still has an impact on regular life and unfortunately if I’m eating too far off from my regular diet and not exercising it will have an impact on how I feel when the trip is over.

I’ve travelled enough to know that I need to think about these things before I leave so I can be prepared and ready to take care of myself and stay focused on my goals when I’m not on my regular schedule.

Read on to get my 2 bonus tips (including my #1 best tip) as well!

Create a daily ritual

When you are working on creating a kick ass life one of the most important things to do is make your goal a habit. If working out or meal planning become something you do without thinking about it then you’ll be more successful at reaching your goal.

A simple, yet very impactful, way to do this is by creating a daily ritual. By this I mean, do the exact same thing at the exact same time everyday.

I’ve always loved reading but as my schedule got busier I read less and less. One day I realized I hadn’t read a book in months. I decided that every morning, instead of checking my emails and Facebook I would read a real book while I drank my coconut matcha latte.

Since October I’ve read three books. It’s still not a lot but it’s a pretty damn good improvement from where I was.

Creating a ritual works for any kind of goal.

Are you wanting to start doing a meal plan and prep? Make a weekend ritual of grabbing a coffee at your favourite cafe and going to the grocery store on Saturday before it turns into a zoo of strollers and yoga pants. On Sunday afternoon make it nonnegotiable that you meal prep while you listen to your favourite podcast, or just put the John Mayer Spotify station on repeat like I do.

Do you want to make working out part of your life? Make a ritual of doing 20 minutes of HIIT between your morning coffee and shower.

By putting these rituals into place while you’re on your regular schedule it’s way more likely that you’ll continue them when you’re on holidays. Or even just during a super busy week.

Plan ahead

If you’re going on a holiday, plan ahead. Research the hotel you’re staying at and see if they have what you’ll need to stay focused on your goal. If they don’t, make a plan to have what you need.

In a couple weeks I’ll be going to Vancouver for a few days for work. I’ve checked out my Airbnb and I know they have a small stove and fridge. This means I can go to the grocery store and keep healthy food on hand so I don’t have to rely on restaurants which are both expensive and unhealthy. I also know that the area I’m staying in has good running paths so I’m planning on doing that for some of my workouts instead of my usual HIIT.

Create a schedule ahead of time

If you know what your days will look like while you’re not on your regular schedule make a plan ahead of time that keeps your goals in mind.

When I’m spending a long weekend at my parents house my days look very different than they do that home.

Now that I have a schedule built around staying focused on my goals and health I’ll be taking this with me on long weekends. Instead of sleeping in I’ll get up early and workout. Instead of stuffing my face with my moms delicious cooking I’ll pay more attention to how I’m eating because even though I don’t like to admit it, calories still count while you’re on vacation.

If you’re going to Disney Land and you know you’ll be spending all day walking around the park then let everyone know that from 7-8 AM you’ll be doing your yoga practice.

When you take a long weekend with your boyfriends family schedule in advance to take a long walk after dinner.

You’re the only one who can make your health the priority so if you don’t stand up for yourself, who will?

Combine it with something else you have to do

There are a few things you have to do everyday. Brushing your teeth and showering are two of them, hopefully.

If your goal revolves around fitness you can work towards your goal while doing something you have to do. Other goals might be a little tricky here.

You can do squats while you brush your teeth.

You can do 20 burpees before you shower.

Or you could listen to inspirational podcasts or audiobooks while you’re getting so fresh and so clean.

Like I said earlier, I weave my have to (caffein in the AM) with a goal (read more books).

What is something you have to do everyday and how can you stay focused on your goal while doing it?

Make sure you download my 2 bonus tips (including my #1 best tip) to stay focused on your goal while you’re your on holidays. It’s at the bottom of the page.

In the end being prepared and taking ownership of your kick ass life are what will make all the difference. To go from complaining to kicking ass you need to have a plan and the courage to stick to it.